Crab and cockle shells as heterogeneous catalysts in the production of biodiesel

In the present study, the waste crab and cockle shells were utilized as source of calcium oxide to transesterify palm olein into methyl esters (biodiesel). Characterization results revealed that the main component of the shells are calcium carbonate which transformed into calcium oxide upon activated above 700 °C for 2 h. Parametric studies have been investigated and optimal conditions were found to be catalyst amount, 5 wt.% and methanol/oil mass ratio, 0.5:1. The waste catalysts perform equally well as laboratory CaO, thus creating another low-cost catalyst source for producing biodiesel. Reusability results confirmed that the prepared catalyst is able to be reemployed up to five times. Statistical analysis has been performed using a Central Composite Design to evaluate the contribution and performance of the parameters on biodiesel purity

Molecular phylogeny of horseshoe crab using mitochondrial Cox1 gene as a benchmark sequence

An effort to assess the utility of 650 bp Cytochrome C oxidase subunit I (DNA barcode) gene in delineating the members horseshoe crabs (Family: xiphosura) with closely related sister taxa was made. A total of 33 sequences were extracted from National Center for Biotechnological Information (NCBI) which include horseshoe crabs, beetles, common crabs and scorpion sequences. Constructed phylogram showed beetles are closely related with horseshoe crabs than common crabs. Scorpion spp were distantly related to xiphosurans. Phylogram and observed genetic distance (GD) date were also revealed that Limulus polyphemus was closely related with Tachypleus tridentatus than with T.gigas. Carcinoscorpius rotundicauda was distantly related with L.polyphemus. The observed mean Genetic Distance (GD) value was higher in 3rd codon position in all the selected group of organisms. Among the horseshoe crabs high GC content was observed in L.polyphemus (38.32%) and lowest was observed in T.tridentatus (32.35%). We conclude that COI sequencing (barcoding) could be used in identifying and delineating evolutionary relatedness with closely related specie

An Intelligent Customer Relationship Management (I-CRM) Framework and its Analytical Approaches to the Logistics Industry

This thesis develops a new Intelligent Customer Relationship Management (i-CRM) framework, incorporating an i-CRM analytical methodology including text-mining, type mapping, liner, non-liner and neuron-fuzzy approaches to handle customer complaints, identify key customers in the context of business values, define problem significance and issues impact factors, coupled with i-CRM recommendations to help organizations to achieve customer satisfaction through transformation of the customer complaints to organizational opportunities and business development strategies

Modelling, Monitoring, Control and Optimization for Complex Industrial Processes

This reprint includes 22 research papers and an editorial, collected from the Special Issue "Modelling, Monitoring, Control and Optimization for Complex Industrial Processes", highlighting recent research advances and emerging research directions in complex industrial processes. This reprint aims to promote the research field and benefit the readers from both academic communities and industrial sectors

Appropriate Wisdom, Technology, and Management toward Environmental Sustainability for Development

The protection and maintenance of environmental resources for future generations require responsible interaction between humans and the environment in order to avoid wasting natural resources. According to an ancient Native American proverb, “We do not inherit the Earth from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children.” This indigenous wisdom has the potential to play a significant role in defining environmental sustainability. Recent technological advances could sustain humankind and allow for comfortable living. However, not all of these advancements have the potential to protect the environment for future generations. Developing societies and maintaining the sustainability of the ecosystem require appropriate wisdom, technology, and management collaboration. This book is a collection of 19 important articles (15 research articles, 3 review papers, and 1 editorial) that were published in the Special Issue of the journal Sustainability entitled “Appropriate Wisdom, Technology, and Management toward Environmental Sustainability for Development” during 2021-2022.addresses the policymakers and decision-makers who are willing to develop societies that practice environmental sustainability, by collecting the most recent contributions on the appropriate wisdom, technology, and management regarding the different aspects of a community that can retain environmental sustainability

Evolution of artificial intelligence research in Technological Forecasting and Social Change: Research topics, trends, and future directions

Artificial intelligence (AI) is a set of rapidly expanding disruptive technologies that are radically transforming various aspects related to people, business, society, and the environment. With the proliferation of digital computing devices and the emergence of big data, AI is increasingly offering significant opportunities for society and business organizations. The growing interest of scholars and practitioners in AI has resulted in the diversity of research topics explored in bulks of scholarly literature published in leading research outlets. This study aims to map the intellectual structure and evolution of the conceptual structure of overall AI research published in Technological Forecasting and Social Change (TF&SC). This study uses machine learning-based structural topic modeling (STM) to extract, report, and visualize the latent topics from the AI research literature. Further, the disciplinary patterns in the intellectual structure of AI research are examined with the additional objective of assessing the disciplinary impact of AI. The results of the topic modeling reveal eight key topics, out of which the topics concerning healthcare, circular economy and sustainable supply chain, adoption of AI by consumers, and AI for decision-making are showing a rising trend over the years. AI research has a significant influence on disciplines such as business, management, and accounting, social science, engineering, computer science, and mathematics. The study provides an insightful agenda for the future based on evidence-based research directions that would benefit future AI scholars to identify contemporary research issues and develop impactful research to solve complex societal problems

Backwards is the way forward: feedback in the cortical hierarchy predicts the expected future

Clark offers a powerful description of the brain as a prediction machine, which offers progress on two distinct levels. First, on an abstract conceptual level, it provides a unifying framework for perception, action, and cognition (including subdivisions such as attention, expectation, and imagination). Second, hierarchical prediction offers progress on a concrete descriptive level for testing and constraining conceptual elements and mechanisms of predictive coding models (estimation of predictions, prediction errors, and internal models)